matteo thun transforms 72 apartments inside milan’s iconic brutalist torre velasca

Matteo Thun reimagines a Milan landmark’s interiors

Matteo Thun & Partners has unveiled the interiors of 72 residences inside Milan’s Torre Velasca, the postwar skyscraper designed by Italian architecture studio BBPR. The project occupies floors 19 through 26, and introduces suites and apartments for short- and long-term stays. This includes duplex penthouses overlooking the city. Set to open in phases beginning in fall 2026, the renovated interiors bring rich colors and Italian design classics into one of Milan’s most iconic buildings.

Completed in 1958, Torre Velasca was designed by BBPR on a site heavily damaged during World War II. Its unusual silhouette, with a broad residential volume projecting above a narrower office tower, takes inspiration from medieval Lombard architecture, especially the Filarete Tower at Milan’s Castello Sforzesco. Angled reinforced-concrete supports carry the upper floors, giving the building its distinctive mushroom-like profile. Even after the design stirred considerable debate among modernist architects at the time, it’s since become an unmistakable part of Milan’s skyline.

Preserving the original character of Torre Velasca

The new interiors follow an extensive restoration of Torre Velasca led by Milan-based studio Asti Architetti for developer Hines, completed in 2025. For the team at Matteo Thun & Partners, working within the protected building meant accommodating much of its original architecture. Tiles in the kitchens and bathrooms have been preserved, along with historic doors and window frames. The apartments also retain their original loggias, which punctuate the tower’s upper volume and frame vast views across Milan.

The existing proportions presented their own challenges. Ceilings are relatively low, and many of the rooms are compact, prompting the studio to introduce glossy finishes that reflect daylight and give the interiors a greater sense of space. Floor plans have been adjusted to accommodate larger showers and walk-in closets.

Working with Italy’s Ministry of Culture, the architects were also able to partially remove a kitchen wall, introducing a cocktail counter that connects the cooking and living areas. The opening allows natural light to reach further into the kitchen while creating a casual setting for gathering.

Pink velvet and a distinctly Milanese palette

The material palette draws directly from Torre Velasca’s architecture. Working with Italian textile house Dedar, Matteo Thun & Partners developed custom velvet wall coverings in a dusty pink inspired by the building’s exterior plaster.

The color brings some of the tower’s character indoors, where it is paired with mustard-yellow sofas custom-designed for Molteni and coffee tables with distinctive stone finishes. Warm wood and deep green accents complete the interiors, giving the rooms a character that feels connected to Milan’s long history of furniture design.

An ecclectic collection of furnishings draw on several decades of Italian design, with pieces by Gio Ponti alongside work by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. Cassina’s Utrecht armchair appears in blue felt with contrasting green stitching, while lighting by Oluce has been produced in colors selected specifically for the apartments. Matteo Thun & Partners has also designed custom wardrobes and bedside furniture, manufactured by Italian producers.

A new residential chapter for Milan’s historic tower

Beyond the apartments, Matteo Thun & Partners has designed the reception and lobby spaces, as well as corridors toward the rear of the ground floor. The residences form part of a wider redevelopment that preserves Torre Velasca’s mixed-use character, with offices continuing to occupy the lower floors and hospitality spaces introduced throughout the building. The upper residences, operated as part of METT Milan Torre Velasca, extend this layout with accommodation for both shorter visits and longer stays.

From the street, Torre Velasca’s immense concrete brackets appear to support an entire block of apartments above the city. Inside, the rooms are surprisingly modest in scale. Their low ceilings and deep window openings are reminders of the building’s original design, even among the new furnishings. It is this contrast between the monumental exterior and the domestic spaces within that gives the project its particular character, allowing one of Milan’s most recognizable architectural landmarks to be experienced from the inside.

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project info:

name: Torre Velasca Residences

interior design: Matteo Thun & Partners | @matteothun

location: Piazza Velasca 3/5, Milan, Italy
original architecture: BBPR, completed 1958
building restoration: Asti Architetti
redevelopment: Hines
hospitality operator: METT Milan Torre Velasca, Sunset Hospitality Group
program: 72 residential units, including suites and duplex penthouses
floors: 19-26
opening: phased from fall 2026
photography: © Alberto Strada | @albertostrada